2011-05-16

pur•chas•e•tar•i•an |ˈpərchəsiˈte(ə)rēən|
[pur-chuhs-i-tair-ee-uhn]
noun
a person who does not purchase certain food products, therefore not supporting their production, while preferring others on principle : Qays is still using the meat left in his freezer but as a purchasetarian he won't buy more.
adjective
of or relating to the refusal to purchase certain food products, esp. unsustainable meats : a purchasetarian grocery list.
DERIVATIVESpur•chas•e•tar•i•an•ism |-ˌnizəm| noun
ORIGIN early 21st cent.: formed irregularly from purchase + vegetarian .
RELATED TO: Ethical Consumerism.The film Food, Inc. makes a very strong argument for Americans to become vegetarian or at least reduce meat consumption. We really are wasting so much oil and putting ourselves (and our Earth) at risk to feed our meat addiction.
I originally watched the movie for my Biology and the Human Predicament class just a few weeks ago. While rewatching for parts I missed, and coincidentally eating a veggie bowl from Chipotle, the argument set in. While I have admittedly eaten meat since, I have not purchased any since earlier that day. I vowed not to purchase conventional meat or fish products. I say conventional because it may be possible to justify eating sustainable pasture-raised meats and Marine Stewardship Council certified sustainable seafood. Unfortunately there doesn't seem to be much research as to whether the impact would be greater by avoiding meats entirely or supporting the better choice through positive buying of only "sustainable" meats. On top of that is the problem of determining what really is sustainable with all the different marketing and labeling. For now, I will just continue to avoid meats.
As for my pesceterian friend, eating fish in no way absolves you. The world's fish supply is dwindling and we are not lowering our consumption. In many ways our harvesting of the ocean is as damaging or even more so than land-based meat production, as can be seen in the film The End of the Line. For you, I recommend checking out Seafood Watch by Monterey Bay Aquarium.

Overall though, it's great that more places are selling sustainable food products and giving people the option to go purchasetarian.